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Tue, 03 Mar 2015 20:28:19 +0000enhourly1What every man (and woman) needs to know about cunnilingushttp://www.salon.com/2015/02/09/what_men_and_women_need_to_know_about_cunnilingus_partner/
http://www.salon.com/2015/02/09/what_men_and_women_need_to_know_about_cunnilingus_partner/#commentsMon, 09 Feb 2015 01:00:00 +0000Ian Blairhttp://www.salon.com/?p=13880505 Cunnilingus is having a cultural moment for once. A week and a half ago, at a Dead Kennedys’ concert, a woman received oral sex onstage for all to see (and for you too. Warning: It’s NSFW). Last year, it got some attention on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and there was even a song dedicated to it, entitled “Philomena,” by the Decemberists prompting Rolling Stone to opine that the tune “might be the catchiest cunnilingus tribute since Foxy Brown’s ‘Candy.’”

]]>http://www.salon.com/2015/02/09/what_men_and_women_need_to_know_about_cunnilingus_partner/feed/55My husband won’t sleep with mehttp://www.salon.com/2014/10/12/my_husband_wont_sleep_with_me_partner/
http://www.salon.com/2014/10/12/my_husband_wont_sleep_with_me_partner/#commentsSun, 12 Oct 2014 22:00:00 +0000Jacob Sugarmanhttp://www.salon.com/?p=13793984 I hooked up with the bartender one night. And then I married him.

And my husband, boyishly cute, tall, lanky, is a gentle, passive, and wildly intelligent man. He mixes a mean martini and loves me more than anyone has ever loved me.

The problem is: He won’t kiss me. He won’t spontaneously touch me—not a hug or an arm on my shoulders. He rarely, if ever, sleeps in our bed. And for the last five years, we have lived in a “sexless marriage.”

Yes, we have sex. But barely: Six times so far this year. To define my terms, I mean penis-in-vagina penetration. The number drops to two if I only count “successful” forays into the erotic, where at least one partner actually reaches climax. I truly can’t remember the last time he went down on me—four years ago, maybe? I married a man for whom making love to his wife has become an afterthought, or an occasional reaction, under duress, to my advances.

]]>http://www.salon.com/2014/10/12/my_husband_wont_sleep_with_me_partner/feed/301Teen could face 2 years in jail for simulating oral sex with Jesus statuehttp://www.salon.com/2014/09/12/teen_could_face_2_years_in_jail_for_simulating_oral_sex_with_jesus_statue/
http://www.salon.com/2014/09/12/teen_could_face_2_years_in_jail_for_simulating_oral_sex_with_jesus_statue/#commentsFri, 12 Sep 2014 17:08:00 +0000Jenny Kutnerhttp://www.salon.com/?p=13770748A Pennsylvania teenager could face up to two years in jail for photographing himself simulating oral sex with a statue of Jesus Christ. According to a police report obtained by the Smoking Gun, the 14-year-old boy -- whose name has not been released -- posted photos of himself pressing his pelvis toward the face of a kneeling statue outside Love in the Name of Christ, a religious organization, in July.

On Thursday, the teen was charged in juvenile court under a 1972 law that the Associated Press characterizes as "rarely used," which criminalizes the "desecration of a venerated object." A conviction could result in a sentence twice as long as that for a basic vandalism charge. The boy is not being charged with violating public indecency laws, as he was wearing pants while simulating a blow job.

While we may not have had the accessories illustrated in Cosmo’s first-ever lesbian sex guide, what we did have was determination, and a willingness to sit on each other’s faces backward for the sake of “science.”

For almost 40 years, since Helen Gurley Brown took over in 1967, Cosmo has been dishing out ridiculous sex tips for straight people involving everything from snorting pepper to performing fellatio with pastries. And while we can ostensibly agree that Cosmo’s acknowledgement of the existence of lesbian sex is a kind of progress, its suggestions for great lesbian sex are just as laughable as ever. But, in honor of Cosmo’s great leap into the 20th century, my girlfriend and I tried out several of its sex positions to see just how “mind-blowing” they might be. Since we had already tried many of the suggestions for straight people, we were understandably wary, but at least, we told ourselves, nobody would be forked in the ribs this time (probably).

]]>http://www.salon.com/2014/08/08/i_tried_cosmos_28_lesbian_sex_tips_partner/feed/3Romance novelists do not know what fisting ishttp://www.salon.com/2014/08/06/romance_novelists_do_not_know_what_fisting_is/
http://www.salon.com/2014/08/06/romance_novelists_do_not_know_what_fisting_is/#commentsWed, 06 Aug 2014 20:32:00 +0000Jenny Kutnerhttp://www.salon.com/?p=13742328In a highly scientific analysis of romance novels, Vice writer Mike Pearl has found substantial evidence in support of a hilarious hypothesis: Romance novelists do not know what "fisting" means. You know, fisting -- when one shoves an entire hand (or, as it were, fist) into his or her partner's vagina or anus. Good old-fashioned fisting.

After poring over countless titles, Pearl discovered that romance authors have a tendency to use the verb to fist to describe a variety of actions, none of which are even close to the colloquially accepted meaning of the term. Romance novel characters are commonly described fisting cups, their partners' hair, their own genitalia and more -- but, according to context clues, the word is supposed to be synonymous with "grabbing" (which Pearl points out is not a Thesaurus.com-approved synonym for fisting anything). Sometimes, "fisting" means something else entirely, although it's not entirely clear what that something is. Here, an example from Chris Marie Green's novel, "Break of Dawn: Vampire Bablyon":

]]>http://www.salon.com/2014/08/06/romance_novelists_do_not_know_what_fisting_is/feed/17Why do so many straight women prefer penetration to oral sex?http://www.salon.com/2014/08/01/why_do_so_many_straight_women_prefer_penetration_to_oral_sex/
http://www.salon.com/2014/08/01/why_do_so_many_straight_women_prefer_penetration_to_oral_sex/#commentsFri, 01 Aug 2014 20:55:00 +0000Jenny Kutnerhttp://www.salon.com/?p=13739298Popular vlogger Arielle Scarcella -- known for her YouTube series "Lesbians Explain," in which a panel of lesbians take on a variety of topics from "How Two Girls Have Sex" to "Why Straight Girls Love Lesbian Porn" -- has taken on an important undertaking, with fascinating (if not entirely scientific) results. Her inquiry: Why do straight women prefer penetration, while lesbians overwhelmingly prefer oral sex?

Scarcella did a bit of background research in the weeks before she released her new "Straight Girls Explain" video, asking 500 of her straight-identifying female viewers and 500 lesbian viewers whether they prefer oral sex to penetration. She found that while 55 percent of straight women preferred penetration, just 25 percent of lesbian viewers felt the same. So, for her follow up, Scarcella tried to figure out why.

]]>http://www.salon.com/2014/08/01/why_do_so_many_straight_women_prefer_penetration_to_oral_sex/feed/379Virginity pledges don’t work — unless you’re super religioushttp://www.salon.com/2014/07/16/study_virginity_pledges_dont_work_unless_youre_super_religious/
http://www.salon.com/2014/07/16/study_virginity_pledges_dont_work_unless_youre_super_religious/#commentsWed, 16 Jul 2014 23:01:00 +0000Jenny Kutnerhttp://www.salon.com/?p=13727160Great/horrible news for proponents of comprehensive sex education: virginity pledges don't work, according to science. That is, they don't work unless signers are truly and deeply religious, in which case abstinence pledges are likely to delay sexual activity a few years -- but usually not until marriage. A recent study published in the Journal of Child and Family Studies has found that the efficacy of virginity pledges is not only associated directly with signers' religiosity, but also poses serious risks to young adults who go back on their word.

To evaluate what role religious commitment played in young adults' adherence to virginity pledges, researchers polled 1,380 college students aged 18-24 who attended a "large, public, Southeastern state university," asking participants whether they had previously signed a virginity pledge, their virginity status and how many past or present intercourse and oral sex partners they had. Researchers also asked students to rate their religious commitment, based on how religion or spirituality influence their daily lives, how often they seek spiritual comfort and how frequently they participate in religious events.

]]>http://www.salon.com/2014/07/16/study_virginity_pledges_dont_work_unless_youre_super_religious/feed/35The top 10 oral sex sceneshttp://www.salon.com/2013/12/04/the_top_10_oral_sex_scenes/
http://www.salon.com/2013/12/04/the_top_10_oral_sex_scenes/#commentsWed, 04 Dec 2013 00:30:00 +0000Tracy C-Fhttp://www.salon.com/?p=13548624Actress Evan Rachel Wood recently took to Twitter to air her frustrations over the MPAA forcing a cunnilingus scene out of her upcoming movie "Charlie Countryman." She found it a bit odd that a consensual scene of sexual pleasure was considered inappropriate while extreme, murderous violence was not: "The scene where the two main characters make 'love' was altered because someone felt that seeing a man give a woman oral sex made people 'uncomfortable' but the scenes in which people are murdered by having their heads blown off remained intact and unaltered." Wood also speculated that the scene would not have been cut if it had shown a woman going down on a man.

She is utterly correct: Hollywood is sexist and sex-phobic. I'm not going to use this as an excuse to rant on the topic, though -- been there, done that. Instead, let's take a moment to recognize the best moments in cine-lingus history, shall we? Some of them are funny, some are sexy, and all deserve kudos for venturing where the MPAA would rather they not.

]]>http://www.salon.com/2013/12/04/the_top_10_oral_sex_scenes/feed/153Why don’t we use condoms for oral sex?http://www.salon.com/2013/06/25/why_dont_we_use_condoms_for_oral_sex_partner/
http://www.salon.com/2013/06/25/why_dont_we_use_condoms_for_oral_sex_partner/#commentsTue, 25 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0000Jacob Sugarmanhttp://www.salon.com/?p=13335549 I remember my 27th birthday party better than I remember most parties, mostly because of a guy who wasn’t even there. That week’s New Yorker included a feature by Jerome Groopman, who warned of a new antibiotic-resistant strain of gonorrhea colonizing the throats of hosts from Japan to Sweden: “the harbinger of a sexually transmitted global epidemic.” Everyone was talking about it. Couples clung tighter, singles tried to shrug it off, silently praying they could pair off before this latest nastiness hit our shores. The rueful consensus was that no one in attendance—no matter their gender, race, sexual proclivities, or relationship status—regularly used condoms for oral sex.

]]>http://www.salon.com/2013/06/25/why_dont_we_use_condoms_for_oral_sex_partner/feed/108There’s a new macho sex boasthttp://www.salon.com/2013/06/05/theres_a_new_macho_sex_boast/
http://www.salon.com/2013/06/05/theres_a_new_macho_sex_boast/#commentsWed, 05 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0000Tracy C-Fhttp://www.salon.com/?p=13317085Nearly 15 years ago, an episode of "The Sopranos" showed just how emasculating some men consider cunnilingus. Uncle Junior's lover Roberta tells him that he's "a real artist" when it comes to "kissing down there" -- but instead of puffing up his chest with pride and telling all his fellow mafiosi, he warns her not to dare spread the word. "They think if you suck pussy you'll suck anything," says Junior. "It's a sign of weakness and possibly a sign that you're a fanook." Tony finds out and humiliation ensues. Junior gets so enraged that he considers having his nephew murdered -- all over some oral.

Just contrast that scene with Michael Douglas' recent proud profession about going down.

Sure, the mafia may have a stricter definition of masculinity than the rest of society. It's also true that there are counter pop cultural examples from the late '90s; take Big Pun's rapping about his "thick tongue, known to make a chick come." But that "Sopranos" episode nonetheless expressed a widespread cultural attitude that has diminished tremendously in the last 15 years -- and how! But also, seriously, how?

]]>http://www.salon.com/2013/06/05/theres_a_new_macho_sex_boast/feed/75Michael Douglas’ rep attempts to clarify claim that actor’s cancer was caused by oral sexhttp://www.salon.com/2013/06/04/michael_douglas_rep_attempts_to_clarify_claim_that_actors_cancer_was_caused_by_oral_sex/
http://www.salon.com/2013/06/04/michael_douglas_rep_attempts_to_clarify_claim_that_actors_cancer_was_caused_by_oral_sex/#commentsTue, 04 Jun 2013 13:12:00 +0000pguptahttp://www.salon.com/?p=13316723Michael Douglas' P.R. team is in damage control mode after the actor's comments to the Guardian -- during which he attributed the cause of his throat cancer to oral sex -- went viral on Monday.

Douglas' rep, Allen Burry, attempted to clarify the comment, telling the AP on Monday afternoon that "In a discussion with the newspaper, they talked about the causes of oral cancer, one of which was oral sex, which is noted and has been known for a while now."

]]>http://www.salon.com/2013/06/04/michael_douglas_rep_attempts_to_clarify_claim_that_actors_cancer_was_caused_by_oral_sex/feed/4The grossest part of Michael Douglas’ cancer braghttp://www.salon.com/2013/06/03/the_worst_part_of_michael_douglas_cancer_brag/
http://www.salon.com/2013/06/03/the_worst_part_of_michael_douglas_cancer_brag/#commentsMon, 03 Jun 2013 15:35:00 +0000Mary Bethhttp://www.salon.com/?p=13315748If this is the start of a worldwide oral sex shortage, blame Gordon Gekko. In an eyebrow-raising Sunday interview with the Guardian, 68-year-old Oscar winner Michael Douglas has opened about his recent bout of cancer – and what he says caused it.

"Stage 4 cancer and a shit-pot of chemo and radiation," he admitted, "that's a rough ride. That can really take it out of you. Plus, the amount of chemo I was getting, it zaps all the good stuff too. It made me very weak."

But when writer Xan Brooks asked the actor, who in 1992 did a stint in rehab for drug and alcohol dependence, if he felt his hard living had contributed to his cancer, Douglas demurred. "No," he said. "No. Because, without wanting to get too specific, this particular cancer is caused by HPV [human papillomavirus], which actually comes about from cunnilingus."

This is the phrase that sears through me as I stare at the rabbi who’s been hired to preside over my cousin’s small, graveside funeral. Minus the gray hair, he looks exactly the same as he did two decades ago, when he wasn’t a rabbi and we lay together partially clothed one late summer night in a neighborhood playground that I had loved as a child.

“Give me head,” he had said after about 20 minutes of making out in the playground’s sand pit underneath the swings.

“You want me to give you head?” I was a barely 19-year-old, conflicted Orthodox Jewish girl, the type who wore long skirts for synagogue and short ones for drinking at bars that let me get away with my fake ID. I was also a virgin who hadn’t yet solved the problem of branching out sexually while keeping what I would later recognize to be a rather idiosyncratic covenant with God.

He undid his belt, clearly disregarding the question mark at the end of my sentence. “That would be nice.”